The Killing Game, Part II (episode)
With half the Voyager crew trapped in a deadly simulation staged by the Hirogen, Captain Janeway must find a way to retake the ship. Summary As the holo-Nazis continue to pour out of the World War II holoprogram and into the corridors of the , which has been turned into one huge holodeck, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine fight their way to astrometrics. They use the sensors to find the location of the remaining crew members and the Hirogen. The determine that the neural interfaces that are controlling the crew are controlled out of sickbay and without disabling them, they cannot get the crew back. Sickbay however, is heavily guarded and they need help. They realize that the only allies they have in the simulation are the French Resistance and Americans. Ensign Harry Kim informs the Hirogen about the extent to which this simulation has gotten out of control. In order to stop it and bring it under control, he suggests they allow him to go to engineering and initiate a power-surge across the holographic projector network. But the Hirogen overwatching him does not allow him to do so out of fear that it would destroy both holodecks. He tells Kim that he wants the holodeck technology preserved. Turanj suggests just killing the prey and moving on but Karr wants to preserve the technology and not jeopardize the ship's resources. In the World War II simulation, Americans Captain Miller and Lieutenant Davis (Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant jg Tom Paris) as well as the members of the French Resistance try to make sense of the situation. They believe that all the technology they see is some sort of secret laboratory designed to make a secret weapon. Miller and Davis take charge and decide to disable it and use the cafe as the command post. Brigitte (Lt. jg B'Elanna Torres) is asked to help the Americans locate the weapons they have been hiding across town. Crawling through the Jefferies tube, Janeway and Seven sneak back into the simulation to get assistance. Janeway persuades Captain Miller to attack "a generator" that powers the entire complex. With their help she will be able to set off some explosives. Right after they go through the "escape tunnel", which takes them out of the holodeck, the cafe is attacked by the Nazis. The Doctor is being forced to treat more and more wounded sent in by the Hirogen. When he refuses to treat a Hirogen with minor injuries before a crewmember with massive internal injuries, he is deactivated by Turanj. Turanj gives orders to ignore the wounded prey and tend only to their own. In the Klingon simulation, Neelix is drunk and thoroughly enjoying his time when Janeway enters his program. While Captain Miller keeps them distracted and is quite confused, Janeway gets The Doctor running again and learns from him that the only way to disable the neural interfaces is through the surgical console in sickbay. Since they don't have time, Janeway suggests they access the Jefferies tube that runs under that deck, set a few charges and just blow up the consoles. She and Captain Miller begin heading to the Jefferies tube under Sickbay and The Doctor is left to keep the Klingons company. When Janeway and Miller arrive at the Jefferies tube under sickbay, they discover a level 9 force field around the console. She asks Miller to set the detonator for five minutes and makes her way to sickbay. She gets the Hirogen medic to leave with the threat of being killed and disables the force field as enemy troops begin to converge on sickbay. She narrowly escapes and when the bomb goes off, everyone's neural interfaces are finally disabled. However, Janeway's leg is injured from the blast. The Germans, who have gotten into the chateau, hold Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Torres, Paris and Seven as hostages. One of the Nazis engages Torres in a conversation, provoking her and almost shooting Paris for coming to her defense when he hits her. Meanwhile, in the Klingon simulation, Neelix and the Doctor are forced to engage in yet another battle. Janeway is brought into the ready room to see Karr. He tells her that her effort to seize the vessel was inventive but that it is over now. He asks her to help him shut down the simulations and repair the holodecks. Janeway states that she would rather destroy the ship than surrender it. He continues threatening her but to no avail. Karr tells her that this is not merely a game but his attempt to create a future for his people because they are hunting themselves into extinction. He believes that Voyager s holodeck technology offers them an alternative, a new way of life. Instead of scattering themselves across the Delta Quadrant in pursuit of prey, they could simulate the hunt and concentrate on rebuilding their civilization. He tells Janeway how much he admires the Human race, which has faced extinction many times but still managed to avoid it. He admires humanity for its resilience. She finds his reasons noble, if his methods brutal, and agrees to give them the technology if he calls a cease-fire. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. When Turanj gets orders from Karr to call a cease-fire, he becomes enraged. Additionally, the holographic Nazi forces refuses to let their battle end. They believe that they are surrendering a battle they are winning and that they are "negotiating with inferior forms of life." Turanj agrees, giving a stirring speech to his holographic compatriots and attempts to attack the retreating Allied troops. Meanwhile, The Doctor and Neelix are still in the Klingon simulation, watching the half-drunk Klingons eat. They realize that even in their half-drunken state, Klingons still make great warriors. They believe that they would make excellent warriors in the other simulation as well and would certainly be able to hold off the small band of Nazis attacking the Allies' position. Just as the holodecks are about to be overloaded with a power-surge, Turanj shows up and shoots Karr with a German rifle. He then tells Janeway, his prey, to run. With her injured leg she can't move as fast as he can. However, she finds an area where the holoemitters do not reach, gets him to move his weapon into it, and then knocks him down, seizing his weapon. Janeway asks him to tell his hunters to stand down but he attacks her and she shoots him. While Chakotay, Paris, Tuvok, Seven, Neelix, Torres, The Doctor and the Klingons are in the WWII simulation engaged in a heated battle with the Nazis, the hologrid finally overloads and the simulation ends. :"Captain's log, stardate 51715.2. The damage to ''Voyager has been extreme. Both sides have taken heavy casualties and it's clear that no one is going to win this conflict. The fighting has reached a standstill and the remaining Hirogen have agreed to negotiate a truce." Janeway, after lots of diplomacy, gives the remaining Hirogen an optronic data core they can use to create holodeck technology on their own vessels. She tells the remaining Hirogen that she made a promise to their Alpha and she intends to keep that promise. She tells them to accept this "trophy" to create a new future for their own people. Somewhat reluctantly they accept and leave ''Voyager. Memorable Quotes "They're Nazis, totalitarian fanatics, bent on world conquest. The Borg of their day. No offense." : - Tom Paris to Seven of Nine "Pardon me gentlemen, I wonder if I might have a word with you." "They're Klingons, not kittens." : - Neelix and The Doctor, as Neelix is trying to get the attention of the Klingons in the simulation "Qapla'!" "Qapla'..." "Tally-hoo!" : - A Klingon, Neelix and The Doctor "The thought of you carrying my child disgusts me." "You're not the only one." :- The SS officer and B'Elanna Torres "What should we do?" "Not having a cure for Klingon hangovers, I couldn't tell you." : - Neelix and the Doctor "Loosen up baby doll, the war's almost over." :- Tom Paris and Seven of Nine "What do you think? Boy or a girl?" "It's a holographic projection." "Unfortunately, it's a very good projection. I feel 20 kilos heavier. It even kicks." :- Tom Paris, Seven of Nine and B'Elanna Torres on her holographic pregnancy. "Funny, doesn't seem like your type." :- Tom Paris, to B'Elanna Torres concerning the SS Officer "Even half drunk, Klingons are among the best warriors in the galaxy." :- The Doctor "Sing or you will die." "Then I'll die." ..."One day the Borg will assimilate your species, despite your arrogance. When that moment arrives, remember me." : - Hirogen SS Officer and Seven of Nine "Qapla' to him, Qapla'!" : - The Doctor, excitedly, to Neelix during the final battle "Accept this... trophy. You can use it to create a new future for your people. At the very least, you can hang it on your bulkhead." : - Captain Janeway giving the Hirogen holographic technology Background Information * Filming of this episode's two-parter covered late November-early December . The Sainte Claire exteriors were filmed over three days, the second of which was , at Universal Studios' "European Street" backlot. (''Star Trek Magazine'' issue 143) * At one point on the Universal Studios' backlot, Tuvok actor Tim Russ took a break from filming (while Voyager s production crew scrambled, in the rain, to set up the next shot of this episode), relaxed in his temporary trailer (still wearing his makeup appliances for the role of Tuvok but dressed in plaid slacks and a black sweater), and spoke to interviewer Ian Spelling for The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine. Russ had worked at Universal Studios on a couple of previous occasions and had taken of the studios. "But to be on the actual outdoor lot," he said, "is kind of neat .... To be shooting on the backlot now makes me appreciate how far I've come. The sets are great." One aspect that Russ did not enjoy was the rain, which he thought was unfortunately typical of working conditions whenever the Voyager cast and crew got to work outside the confines of the Paramount Pictures studio complex. (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, issue #17) * The stormy weather was almost too much for Seven actress Jeri Ryan to endure. "I was sick with something almost every day of my first season – colds, sinus infections, bronchitis – and getting only four hours of sleep a night because of the schedule, so by the time we got to this really grueling, complicated two-parter set in World War II, I was totally wiped," Ryan explained. "It all came to a head during an exterior night shoot when El Nino moved in, and it started to rain on us – pouring rain – and I completely broke down. I couldn't function. I just sat down for a long time crying and trying to figure out if being on the show was worth it, because at that point it didn't seem like it was .... Anybody would buckle under those circumstances." (TV Week magazine (Canada) of May 8-14, 1999, pp. 6-7, 9 from "Super Moms", an interview by Michael Logan) * This episode aired back-to-back with on its first airing. The producers had originally intended to air the two parts as a single, feature-length edition (and promotional trailers for the episodes advertised them as such) – however, these plans did not materialize, and each episode aired as a separate entity. A feature-length version was aired by the BBC on its first airing on , and formed part of the UK VHS release Star Trek: Voyager - Movies. * The Hirogen return in the 7th season episode where we learn the results of their usage of holographic technology. * A map of Toulouse was used to represent the map of Sainte Claire. * The module given to the Hirogen is the same pair of props used in to contain the Moriarty program. *Torres says they stole the weapons from the Germans, yet their weapons (M1 Garand, Colt M1911) are all American. Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 4.10, catalogue number VHR 4631, . *In feature-length form, as part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: Voyager - Movies: Volume 3 (with "Equinox"), . *As part of the VOY Season 4 DVD collection. Links and references Starring *Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway Also starring *Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay *Roxann Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres *Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris *Ethan Phillips as Neelix *Robert Picardo as The Doctor *Tim Russ as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok *Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine *Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim Guest Stars *Danny Goldring as Karr *Mark Metcalf as a Hirogen medic *Mark Deakins as Turanj *J. Paul Boehmer as a Kapitän *Paul Eckstein as a Young Hirogen *Peter Hendrixson as a Klingon Uncredited Co-Stars *David Keith Anderson as Ashmore *Brian Hite *Tom Morga as a Klingon References Death Takes a Holiday; France; Gewehr 98/40; Grable, Betty; Hirogen; holodeck; hologrid; I'm No Angel; Katrine; Klingon; M1 Garand; Nazi; optronic data core; Sainte Claire; US Army; West, Mae; Second World War; US 29th Infantry Division External link *"The Killing Game" at FiveMinute.net |next= }} Killing Game Part II, The de:Das Tötungsspiel, Teil II es:The Killing Game, Part II fr:The Killing Game, Part II nl:The Killing Game, Deel II